Sri Lanka’s Higher Education Needs Clear Policy Direction, Says ESOFT Founder
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Dr. Dayan Rajapakse
Sri Lanka’s higher education landscape has changed dramatically over the past three decades, driven largely by the entry of the private sector. Where once missing out on a state university seat meant the end of academic ambitions, today a wider range of options is available for students to pursue their chosen fields.
“If you missed a place in a state university 30 years ago, your higher education dreams would be shattered, unless you had the financial capacity to study abroad,” said Dr. Dayan Rajapakse, Founder, Chairman, and Managing Director of the ESOFT Group. “With the private sector coming in, there are now more opportunities for young people to pursue their passions. But as a country, we still haven’t capitalised on the real potential of this sector.”
Sri Lanka, he noted, is geographically well-positioned to become a regional hub for education, with proximity to Asian markets and an established reputation for quality schooling. “We could be a market leader in the education space, especially with the international partnerships we already have,” he said, referencing a British Council report that noted nearly 45 UK universities are represented in Sri Lanka.
“But the industry is underutilised. In terms of opportunity, we’ve opened doors for our youth, but in terms of contribution to the national economy, we could be doing much more, particularly in earning foreign exchange in the services sector,” he said.
Policy gaps and legislative barriers
Dr. Rajapakse pointed to a lack of clarity in state policy as one of the key barriers to growth. “There are still grey areas. Institutions like us are recognised as non-state degree-awarding bodies, but technically, we are not allowed to call ourselves universities,” he explained.
“Not all institutions should be given that label — there must be minimum standards — but without legislative changes and a clear framework, it’s difficult for the industry to move to the next level. The government needs to decide how it wants to regulate higher education, including foreign degree programmes, and provide a clear direction,” he added.
For Dr. Rajapakse, such a policy shift is also about respecting students’ right to choose. “We always talk about free education, but we also need to talk about freedom of education; people should have the option to study what they want, when they want, even mid-career if they realise they need new skills.”
Responding to shifting needs
Recognising the evolving job market, ESOFT recently launched ESOFT Uni to separate its higher education operations from its vocational training arm. “Previously, everything was under one brand, which created confusion. Parents didn’t know if we were a vocational institute or a university. With ESOFT Uni, we’ve made that distinction clear,” Dr. Rajapakse said.
The new brand ‘ESU’, focuses on structured undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with an emphasis on research, globally transferable qualifications, and flexible study options, including pathways to study partly in Sri Lanka and complete degrees overseas.
“At the same time, not everyone is looking for a degree. Many are looking for specific skills or certifications to enter the job market. That’s where the vocational and skills training side of ESOFT continues to operate, and we’re planning to expand into areas beyond white-collar jobs, because demand is growing across sectors,” he said.
This includes short-term certifications to meet global demands. “Look at the recent demand for nursing and adult care, other countries moved quickly to create short-term, targeted programmes, but Sri Lanka lagged,” he noted. “Our role is to bridge that demand-and-supply gap, to produce people who are fit for purpose, whether through a degree or vocational qualification.”
Brain drain and adaptability
Addressing the issue of brain drain, Dr. Rajapakse cautioned against restrictive solutions. “You can’t artificially control this. Today’s youth are global citizens. The way to reduce the outflow is to align education with local opportunities so they can find a fit here,” he said.
He added that graduates must also be equipped with transferable skills to adapt to a changing job market. “Critical thinking, teamwork, adaptability; these allow someone with an engineering degree to work in banking, or a medical graduate to pivot into another field. If you lock people into one mould, they’re more likely to look elsewhere.”
Innovation and lifelong learning
Dr. Rajapakse predicts that education will be “heavily disrupted” in the next five years, with technology and globalisation reshaping how and what people learn. “Learning has to be lifelong,” he said. “Upskilling, reskilling, and hybrid qualifications will become the norm. We want to stay dynamic and agile to meet these changes.”
At ESOFT, this includes developing hybrid curricula that combine disciplines, such as IT with management or engineering with finance, and offering extracurricular activities to build leadership and creativity. “Through societies, CSR projects, and even debating, students learn soft skills that make them adaptable,” he said.
Technology in education
With an IT background himself, Dr. Rajapakse has been an advocate for integrating technology into the learning process. “Tech has already changed education, hybrid learning, platform-based delivery, even AI-supported tutoring,” he said. “My IT background has helped us adopt these innovations quickly while keeping the human side in mind, because technology alone doesn’t guarantee adoption.”
Advocacy and leadership
Beyond ESOFT, Dr. Rajapakse plays a prominent role in shaping the education and IT sectors. As a past president of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka, he led initiatives to make IT a more attractive field for students during the early 2000s, when traditional fields like medicine and engineering dominated.
“I gave up medicine for IT, and that encouraged others to see the potential of the industry,” he said, noting that school-level competitions like IT Mastermind helped nurture a generation of entrepreneurs who now run their own start-ups.
Through his current roles as President of the Sri Lanka Association of Non-State Higher Education Institutes (SLANSHEI) and Chairman at Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS), Dr. Rajapakse continues to push for reforms that align education with the country’s digital economy strategy and ambitions to become a regional education hub.
“When we export our students, the brain drain problem worsens,” he said. “If we can bring international students here instead and create that global exposure locally, it will transform our students — and the economy.”
- Tharushi Weerasinghe
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